City and Teamsters Local Union 14 negotiate agreement for new fiscal year

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

A modification to the Collective Bargaining agreements was recently negotiated with the Teamsters Local 14 which represents all non-police personnel and firefighters. It was announced today by Teamsters Local 14 and the City of Mesquite that the new agreement would reduce labor costs by more than $200,000.

“This reduction comes from reduced pay and benefit payments to all employees who are covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreements and from the non-union employees and management who have agreed to take the same reductions as the Union personnel,” said Mike Callahan, personnel director for the City of Mesquite.

According to Callahan, the specific reductions include the following for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010, and ending June 30, 2011:

All hourly employees, except dispatch operators, will take one unpaid furlough day off each month for a reduction in pay of 96 hours for the year.

Dispatch operators will have Holiday pay suspended in the coming year, for a reduction of 92 hours.

Sworn Firefighters will not receive Holiday pay for six (6) designated holidays for a reduction of at least 48 hours pay.

Salaried union employees and non-union salaried, and management employees are taking cuts in paid time off benefits equal to 96 hours per year.

Any wage increase that was proposed to take effect on July 1, 2010 will be deferred until July 1, 2011.

Through these concessions, which were made by all employees, including management, union and non-Union personnel, the City was able to prevent additional layoffs of at least three hourly Teamsters positions and one Firefighter/EMT position.

“We appreciate the firefighters and other City employees who came to the table early in the budget process and decided as a group to make personal sacrifices in order to help some of their fellow workers,” said City Manager Tim Hacker. “The Teamsters Local 14 personnel, including Secretary Treasurer/CEO Larry Griffith, Vice President Steve Harney, and business agent Phil Nelson, were cognizant of our desire to preserve jobs as well as service delivery to our citizens.”

Hacker said that he was pleased with the cooperation from the labor groups as they worked together to make the best of a difficult situation.

All other provisions of the contracts will remain in force as currently stated and the expiration of the contracts will be extended to June 30, 2012

The Desert Tortoise

Like many desert creatures, desert tortoises spend most of their lives "holed up." In spring and summer, they roam grazing on grasses and wildflowers, then head for their burrows when it gets too hot. In fall and winter, when it is cold and there is not much to eat, they stay burrowed in for six months or more at a time.

If you see a desert tortoise, you are seeing an endangered species. Please watch out for them on the roads. Tortoises live in washes and valleys where the soil is soft enough for them to burrow into, yet stable enough so they do not collapse. Remember, desert tortoises are protected under the Endangered Species Act and may not be handled or removed.

Golf in the Desert

The city of Mesquite combines calm, small-town flavour with big-city attractions and championship golf. The Palms and the Oasis Golf Clubs are only two of the half-dozen challenging courses in the area.

Golf Highlights in Mesquite

Golf built on the dramatic Virgin Foothills of Nevada makes for a unique landscape and golf setting.
Enjoy a spa treatment at the Spa at Casablanca or the Spa at the Oasis.
Mesquite serves as a gateway to the national parks of Southern Utah and Zion National Park, which is less than two hours away.

View more information about golf courses in Mesquite

The Speedy RoadRunner

Called paisano in Mexico, the roadrunner is a well-known desert resident that only superficially resembles its popular cartoon portrayal. The greater roadrunner has adapted to life on the run. Though it can fly well, it prefers to use its strong legs and X- shaped toes to run rapidly over the desert landscape. Active predators, roadrunners aggressively chase insects, lizards, snakes, small birds and mammals.

Tolerant of humans, they sometimes nest in protected eaves and garages when they are not building large stick nests in desert trees. Their vocalizations include bill clicking noises and a mournful cooing made during breeding seasons. They do not meep-meep.